The stalwart Nexus warriors who have been making do with the Nexus 5 for the last two years finally have another option in the same size range. The LG-built Nexus 5X is official, and it's available for pre-order today. It's the Nexus 5 the internet deserves, not the one we need.

We already had a good handle on the specs from the numerous leaks, but here's what we know. We'll update this as we learn more.

So yes, it looks like your worst fears have been realized. The first modestly sized Nexus we've had in two years still only has 2GB of RAM. It will, however, ship with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Maybe it'll be much easier on the memory and make 2GB sufficient.

Google is pushing the fingerprint reader on the back as a major feature. It ties into Android 6.0 to unlock your device and log into supported apps. This is also a much more rational spot for the sensor than below the screen, a la OnePlus and Samsung.

Google says the camera is a vast improvement over past Nexus devices with the laser autofocus and large 1.55μm pixels. Theoretically, it should be able to take pictures in low light that don't look like butt. I suppose we will see about that. One possible stumbling block is the lack of optical image stabilization. That's not listed in the camera specs, so it's probably confirmed from yesterday's leak.

You can pre-order the phone today on the Google Store for $379.99 (16GB) and $429.99 (32GB). It's launching in the US, UK, Ireland, and Japan at first. It comes with $50 in Google Play credit and 90 days of Play Music All Access. A previous leak claimed the 2015 Nexus phones would only be available in the Google Store, but we don't know for sure if that's the case. They did mention carriers in passing.

Thats because they didn't show a single feature that was 6P exclusive. Both devices have all the same features including the same camera sensor. Only differences are hardware related. 6P has metal body, higher res display and 3GB of RAM. 5X has plastic body, 1080p display, 2GB of RAM.

teolinux

what about laser focusing?

Aaron Dugger

The 5X has laser auto-focusing. It's listed in the spec sheet at store.google.com for the device.

As long as it has USB OTG, it's fine for me. It's still too expensive though.

WitnessG

They are really selling me on the 5X. I was leaning towards the Moto X after the rumors but the camera and fingerprint sensor look really promising.

AJ2

I dont understand Motorola not including a fingerprint sensor when that is one of the new features of Android Marshmallow. Fingerprint sensors and security are something people are very aware of these days, especially since the iPhone has had it.

WitnessG

Exactly, I would buy the Moto X right away if it had a fingerprint sensor.

cvm

Wow I can believe it!
It is like a phone that I never seen before!

Larry Simpson

Shit is weak

Just_Some_Nobody

2GB is plenty if you're not a heavy user. It is plenty to use as a development phone. It is plenty if you don't need top of the line everything.

sivkai

No thanks.

MustWarnOthers

Sidegrade Nexus 5 with no Wireless charging. Who is in charge of the Nexus product line? That person shit the bed this year.

AJ2

I guess if its good enough for the iPhone....

Crafted Crows

My S6 has 3GB yet it feels like it has 512 and it's slow like a snail

Bospaddenstoel

I'm waiting to buy a secondhand S6 unti Cyanogenmod has been released for some time (= stable). My god, S6 specs with stock/CM Android... hnnnnng

SorinDobrin

Absolutely no reason to part with the OG Nexus 5 ...yeah it's slightly bruised, but the technology got to the point that, for my uses, there's no reason to upgrade .

They mentioned that the N5 is so popular.. But they didn't get why this was the case. In that time, the N5 had top specs for a super low price. I don't think that many people will be willing to upgrade under these circumstances.

San Diego Dave

As someone who relies on the iPhone's Touch ID every day, I think just adding the fingerprint reader to the 5x is a compelling reason to upgrade. Also, the one thing I absolutely hate about the Nexus 5 is the terrible camera, so this camera upgrade is a big deal (for me). Once you factor in the better processor and slightly larger battery, the list of reasons to upgrade is pretty significant. And with Marshmallow's memory and stability improvements, it's likely that 2GB of RAM is plenty. I guess we'll see.

teolinux

I love my N5 camera!
Used in HDR+ always surprises my friends.
What I really abhor is the sound. The speakers are the most godawful feature in the history of smartphones

San Diego Dave

You are definitely the first person I've heard say they like the camera haha! And yes, the front facing speaker is also a nice improvement (even if they only did one, becuase they're being unnecessarily cheap).

Arpan Malviya

I love my N5 camera because it takes better than decent photos for a phone.

blzd

Well here's another for you then. The camera is great as long as you or the subject isn't moving too much.

Android Central did a detailed comparison against the GS5 (16 MP) camera and the N5's 8MP camera came out on top, specifically in low light where cell phone cameras struggle the most.

San Diego Dave

Interesting. My only comparison is to the iPhone 6, I've never used any other Android phone (well, not since 2012). I've found every indoor and low-light picture I've taken with the N5 is grainy and terrible, while the iPhone pictures look great. It could just be that I'm not making use of the settings in Google's camera app properly, but I never really gave that much thought because I heard from every Android user I know that the N5 had a bad camera (and that other phones like the Galaxy were much better).

Oh well, this just makes me more excited for the improved camera in the 5X (and is good news for whoever buys my N5 on gazelle.com, haha).

SorinDobrin

I did mentioned that when it comes to MY uses of the phone ,I don't see a reason to upgrade. I don't use fancy unlocking , and the half decent camera is enough .

jer85008

People need to get over the 2GB RAM. My DD for for the last two months has been the gen 3 Moto G, only 2GB RAM (and a much slower processor no less). It's been very smooth and stable.

San Diego Dave

That's really encouraging to hear! I've suspected for a while that a smartphone doesn't need more than 2GB of RAM anyway (it's not like you're going to render 4K video in Final Cut or something). My old Nexus 5 is still pretty snappy with only 2GB, and my iPhone works just fine (90% of the time anyway) with only 1GB. Software is just as important as hardware in this respect, and I'm guessing that pure Android + Marshmallow's speed and stability improvements will make 2GB more than sufficient.

Completely agree. I have an iPhone 6 for work & entering a password on my G3 feels like such a hastle. Can't wait to get my 5x.

darkdude1

Good job AP. You absolutely nailed it.

Tom Harman

Glad i passed on both choices and just went for the 2014 N6, which i received yesterday, and i honestly don't regret that choice, i actually like it despite it's rather large size.

Curtis Bond

I still love my N6 as well. I'll admit, I'm torn here. I was almost definitely going with the LG phone at first, but now that 64gb 6P looks hella tempting. I'll wait for the reviews, but it isn't as much of a slam dunk decision that I originally thought it would be.

Pascal

Meh.

dude

Normally I'm excited about new Nexus releases, but not this time.

DaveTexan

As expected it is a downgraded LG G4 from a hardware perspective. I think I got a better deal by getting the LG G4 for $170 no contract via a credit card deal.

Biff Wonsley

Would it kill the guy to wear a suit? Kids these days. /s sort of.

Not seeing this as much of an upgrade on my S4 GPE. 32gb RAM, maybe, but SD card for media storage makes that unnecessary. Snapdragon 600 still rolling along nicely.

androidguy99

You must have some super phone from the future to have 32GB RAM!

Sergii Pylypenko

That's what it takes to watch Gifs in Chrome.

Biff Wonsley

Ah, should've been clearer. The 16gb 5X isn't much of, or enough of, an upgrade for me. And while the 32gb 5X seems like an upgrade, with respect to my SD card support, it really isn't. Most likely I'll buy a Nexus for my next phone, but it'll need to be an obvious upgrade. And one that fits in my hand. Nice phone, though.

AJ2

No one said that about Steve Jobs or Zuckerberg. But the entire process doesn't look very polished

Hyperbole

Damn. That Nexus Protect with the Nexus 5X is almost the same as the base cost of the Moto X without Moto Care. I'm torn now.

Brendon

buy x pure it is better

AJ2

Don't forget your $50 Google Play credit. But I won't order any phone without being able to hold it first, and it doesn't look like thats going to happen in the US. They should have at least struck a deal with a retailer like Best Buy or Target or something if the carriers didn't want to play ball

Justin W

I think it's more of a decision to push the new Google Store. More people have to go there to order the device now, meaning more people will see their other wares (and potentially purchase other devices from them). In addition, Google never meant these to be consumer devices - they've always (at least, until the Nexus 7) touted them as developer devices.

Darren Nugent

they didn't talk much about the 5X camera..

Pootis Man

Both the 5X and 6P have the same camera sensor and laser autofocus If I'm not mistaken.

Darren Nugent

so they are equally match? didn't pick that up

Pootis Man

Well they said the 5X has a 12.3 sensor that's 1.55 in pixel size, so I'm assuming they both have the same camera.

Darren Nugent

so what's the black bar if they're exactly the same?

Pootis Man

I honestly have no idea. I guess it's maybe to differentiate itself from the 5X?

Kash Khan

Pure design decision. Looks similar to Huawei's P8 phone

Justin W

It's a design aesthetic. It likely holds some of the circuitry, but the black bar itself could have been removed and the hump would appear much smaller (it's not big in any way - just visually looks so because of the black bar).

mattcoz

Same sensor, but there's more to it than just the sensor.

Curtis Bond

They have the same size aperture, the same laser autofocus, and of course the same imaging software. The ISP's will be an interesting subject because we don't know if they used independent ISP's or stuck with the ones built into the SOCs.

mattcoz

The difference in slow motion frame rates and the lack of burst mode seems to imply they're using different ISPs.

Kash Khan

Almost. The 5X is limited to 120FPS for slo-mo video whereas the 6P can do 240FPS

Aki I.

May be a good throw in drawer - back up phone. that happens to work on any carrier. The 808 gpu is what kills me on all these 808 based phones.

AJ2

These guys presentations looks so amateur compared to Apple. Could they not install a teleprompter at eye level so that they're not looking down all the time?? Selling devices online only is a deal breaker for many. Its great to have a more affordable price but people want to hold a phone in their hands, especially with these larger screen phones as people aren't sure if they'll work for their needs. Not really impressed.

Daniel Kirkpatrick

you might want to scrap the more affordable price point if you have a look at the prices they are selling these devices at

ok thanks, just making sure since dind't saw it mention in the article

SoffMouf

Pay can be used for other things besides NFC payments - which is why I'm worried because I can't find confirmation that the 5X has NFC. Nothing official is online yet, and only the 6P was mentioned with payment terminals on the live stream.

The connector is theoretically more durable than Micro USB and Lightning connectors, but devices that have the port haven't been on the market long enough to know how durable it really is in the field.

Sure hope thats true.
If I get a N5X it will be with no warranty as I'm outside US.
If the Type C spoils the market would have replacement boards by then I hope.

stockandroidguy

Anyone know what time preorder starts?

mattcoz

I'm somewhat disappointed by it not having an OLED screen like its bigger brother, the ambient screen would be nice and I'm sick of the bright backlight when it's dark.

hmosh

Honestly the only reason I'm getting the 5x is because I hate oled screens, especially for reading at night. IPS is better for pretty much everything but ambient notification display.

Currently using a Nexus 6. If the 6p had an IPS screen I probably would have bought that instead.

blzd

How come for reading at night? Does the brightness not get low enough or is it because AMOLED pixels have a sort of glow?

I'm just wondering as I've never owned an AMOLED device myself.

hmosh

OLED screens tend to change color at low brightness, but in general i don't like them for reading. If the text is white on black, the text is 100% white and the black is 100% black. That looks good on a spec sheet or in an in-store demo ("look at all that pop!"), but it's just not an ideal setup for a natural look.

IPS screens on the other hand, are a lot closer to paper in terms of contrast between the text/background, at least in my experience.

filmerdude

Well, I can happily say I'm glad I got the OnePlus2...

sssgadget

How is Android Pay working for you? ....Oh wait...

filmerdude

I use it just as often as I would with my OG Nexus 5 with a custom ROM. Y u h8in brudda?

2GB of RAM should be fine if the memory leaks are fixed. Maybe not if you are playing intensive games, but for the average user it will be plenty.

C64

And again i'm disappointed :(

Moto X style is getting interesting by the minute

RockAndRock

F*ck ! I'm french and nothin here... ! :'''''''''(((((((((

Azar

Da hell

Alan S

I honestly think Google heard me. Look through my comments and see how often I complain about Ireland not getting things. OUR DAY HAS COME! <3

juanjeremy2012

nonreplaceable battery is totally gay.

Alan S

Gay is not an insult.

mattcoz

Hopefully it's as "nonreplaceable" as the original N5.

XwaitXwhatX

Hopefully i can just stick the LGG4 Battery in there

pytajnik

this is hilarious

Cory Wilson

The real problem I see here is pricing. At $300 it's great, at $380 it looks over priced compared to the x pure. I think it'll be plenty fast but hard to justify the lack of storage and RAM when you can get a phone that has it all for $20 more

mattcoz

The $50 credit makes it a little more palatable.

Scott Harris

That's only for preorders though, isn't it?

mattcoz

Well, yeah, but that's the only way to get one right now.

Cory Wilson

Just saw that. Definitely makes it better as well as 90 days of play music all access

juanjeremy2012

wait for a google play special, youre right its overpriced

Keeping

It's basically a slight upgrade to the 2013 Nexus 5 minus wireless charging. I'm pretty "meh" about this. If the reviews for the 6P are bad I will be getting a 5X because I really love my LG N5 (2013).

juanjeremy2012

man whatever happened that chrome stick thingie?

jnadke

OIS isn't a magic cure-all everyone thinks it is.

Even in DSLR's, OIS just gives you two or three f-stops, which cuts down the exposure time. The alternative to cut down exposure time is use larger pixels.

The 1.55um pixel size (vs 1.12um on Samsung) might be equivalent in terms of overall exposure time as OIS. You basically have 2x more surface area that's collecting light.

So really no Qi charging or is it - like someone on the other page here said - so common that they just don't mention it?

Scott Harris

Not available

Fail

No QI - No Buy.

I don't care how long USB3 takes to charge, all phones last a day, I want my phone to charge whilst I sleep, it's got 8 hours to do it.

Daggett Beaver

Agreed.

M42

Sony can pack a 5.2" screen into a 144mm package.

Cub

So. That burst mode is only for the new Nexus 6?

I could understand not giving older devices slow motion. But the burst mode should definitely work on them (Nexus 5 went from 3 frames per second to 30 frames per second with lollipop camera API 2).

mlj11

My venerable Nexus 5 died on me recently so I was really hoping for good things from the 5X. The leaks the past couple of days made me slightly edgy but now, after the official announcement, oh man... The disappointment is real.

It looks like I will be getting an OEM-skinned phone for the first time in 3 years. I'm considering the Xperia Z5 and the Blackberry Priv.

Anyone care to share how root-able the past few Xperias have been? How's the AOSP-ish ROM scene for them?

Scott Harris

Just get the Moxo X Pure...

blindexecutioner

That's a phablet. I assume he doesn't want a phablet.

mlj11

I don't want too large a screen.

Also, I don't think the online customizations will be available where I am.

juanjeremy2012

man im like why did they bother coming out with this shit at all?

Serge Cebrian

no ois needed :O

blindexecutioner

Of course the company releasing the phone will say that. Only unbiased reviews or actual use will tell.

Thanks but sadly I'm not in the financial situation to buy one just yet, November is the earliest I can but honestly it's a blessing in disguise, I get to see if there are any hardware defects plus look at the reviews, plus I'm sure there will be an M update by then that fixes any bugs with the first release.

Cory Wilson

Did they strengthen the frame? Original nexus 5 had a crappy frame that cracked with age and couldn't be replaced without replacing the LCD assembly

Mohammed Saati

Are there different models like before (US, World) or is it all one model that works with all carriers?

Daniel Gardner

Does the 5X have the ambient display? Also, did I hear correctly that both phones will have the always listening feature that the Moto X has?

Yeah, probably but it's soooo stupid...
The rumors always mentioned stereo speakers...
I think I have no other choice than to buy the 6P.

Ankit Gupta

Where's it written about speakers? Couldn't find in the article.

David

On the Google Store product page

Ahmed Elalfi

Nexus 5X
Single Speaker
2GB of RAM
No OIS
No Notifications LED
LCD screen
No Wireless Charging

WTF Google !!

Daggett Beaver

Yeah, but it's going to be buttery smooth!! ;)

muhkuhap

and 480 fucking Euro! I can get a S6 for 400€ or either a LG G4 with double the space

siveZ

Can't believe the speaker is mono and there's no notification LED. These are deal breakers for me!

SorinDobrin

There's led...they forgot to mention it

San Diego Dave

Are you sure about the speaker? The full front image on the website shows 2 speakers, same as the 6P.

EDIT: Oh damn...it does say one speaker. WTF? Did they really need to cut the specs down to 2012 levels to get the price to $379??

Daggett Beaver

No, they didn't. They simply know their fan base will buy it anyway.

Leandro Brandão

man i can't believe there are no stereo speakers. i they talked about screen/body ratio, there is a lot of wasted space.

stemo

I've also read about the speaker on another site. One Speaker one Mic on the front.

fjleon

RIP the LED notification light. Sad, i don't know if i will buy this.

blindexecutioner

I am hoping there is one behind the speaker like HTC or Moto does it. Nexus phones have always had one, even the 6 has a hidden one. I suppose the Galaxy Nexus didn't...oh yeah...neither did the nexus s...

ONY

Galaxy nexus did have a notification LED

muhkuhap

480€ fucking euro. what the *****?

Brendon

Junk phone....

Fatal1ty_93_RUS

This battery capacity sucks. Should've been upped to at least 3000mAh. Otherwise this doesn't seem like an upgrade over the previous Nexus 5 at all

Naga Sridhar

I wouldnt agree..they packed battery pretty well compared to what samsung has done with S6! And for this price..Good job! Only hate no wireless charging, no OIS!

Aaron

Speaker review please.

juanjeremy2012

man will this work on verizon

Dpat

Anyone else notice, they don't include a Type C to Standard A cable in the box? It's only the charger and a Type C to type C cable. Not everyone has type C on their computers?

xxb

5x is missing LED notification light WTF

Madis Otenurm

* "Lean On"
* Random spinning of the phone
* iOS-y text for the model number
* Gray Google logo (the new one was designed to be colorful on all screens, blah blah blah)

What happened, Google?

Binaryoverload

Moto X Pure Edition It Is

RXG9

The LG G4 is much better than the 5X and can be had for the same price on swappa.

No LED on this 5x who has IPS LCD.... While there's a LED on 6p which has amoled
HOW stupid is this?

blzd

There is a fully functional RGB LED in the speaker grill on the bottom.

It will work by default and does not require modification. :)

Paul_Y

Guys I'm really hesitated now, which one should I get? 5X or X pure? The catch is that I'm really not a big fan of huge phones and X pure's large footprint isn't what I want. Another thing is that Damn MOTO is not selling their moto X pure here in Canada, so I need to go across the boarder to get one... I like the design and specs of X pure, at the same time I LOVE the INSTANT update of the nexus line, and plus 5X should have a more decent camera than X pure... GUYS PLEASE HELP!!!

2 years later I have to tell you that it includes a notification LED :P

buckley101

Oh boy...another 2GB memory hater. Take your 3-4GBs and I'll enjoy my battery savings while still being able to stream spotify, navigate, and run whtaever app I am at the time.

Cory Wilson

The lack of wireless charging is annoying but now that I had a day to get over it, i would say I'd probably preorder now if I hadn't bought a G4 earlier this year. Minus wireless charging it's as good as or better than my old nexus 5 anyway. But other than Samsung everyone failed is in what was supposed to be the year of wireless charging so it's forgivable

I've come to expect nexus devices to lack a microsd slot. But... would it kill them to offer a 64GB option?

The slightly larger size is welcome, and the camera improvement sounds especially nice. No notification LED is annoying, but not a deal killer.

Would like a new phone because my nexus 5 battery doesn't last worth a damn. Was planning on 5x, but now not so sure. The 6p seems to be worth the extra money, and not much bigger than the 5x (only 5mm wider).

sad, that about sums up this Australian morning, i agree with the general internet consensus, this is a good phone but with all the extra trimmings its missing, things we are used to in the nexus line, its about $100USD over price, especially with the competition on offer

then you have Australia, we are used to getting shafted here but goddam the N5X is listed at $659 (starting), even with our shit house dollar thats a full $100 over the direct exchanged USD value and i cant even buy it today, W.T.F